Floor seal



Nov. 26, 1963 I R. F. slMBuLAN 3,111,981'v FLooR SEAL Filed Nov. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iQ- 41 I w+ 4'! [5 f3 :E En) i U. u ,4:2':

5;/ f M4112 42. o wif/w l?! j? z d #ggz l. 1 I r f u v z ff v i (i I:

i 5 4f l l I W ff i@ Z \5 42 i A 'l 25 27 I... I

'4 6 al g 27 uyVENToA' I Nov. 26, 1963 R. F. slMBuLAN FLOOR SEAL Filed Nov. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O M 3,111,981 FLOOR SEAL Raymond F. Simbulan, Battle Creek, Mich., assigner to Brunswick Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 71,765 1 Claim. (Cl. i60- 40) This invention relates to a baille arrangement, and more particularly to a iloor seal for a folding or sliding door, partition or other closure panel.

An object of the i-nvention is to provide an improved baille arrangement, such as a iloor seal, for a folding or sliding door, partition or other closure panel.

Floor seals are installed on the bottom edge of a folding or sliding door, partition or other closure panel, and are automatically moved into engagement with the floor as the closure panel is closed. Such iloor seals have included a spring device for resiliently urging a baille member of the floor seal into engagement with the iloor. However, the same spring device is also usually employed to maintain the baffle member retracted :and out of engagement with the floor when the closure panel is in other than the closed position, resulting in the spring device becoming weakened and ineffective for properly urging the iloor seal against the floor.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a new and improved floor sem for closing a gap between an edge of a closure panel and an adjacent surface, the iloor seal having a baille member mounted on the closure panel for movement from a retracted position adjacent the closure panel edge to an extended position away from the edge where it is resiliently urged against the surface by a device including springs substantially unstressed when the baille member is in the retracted position.

Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURES l and 2 are schematic plan views of folding partitions incorporating the floor seal;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view of a panel in either `of the folding partitions illustrated in FGURE l or 2, prior to closing of the partition;

FIGURE 4 is a view of the lower portion of FlGURE 3, but with the iloor seal in the closed position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a lower portion of the folding partition illustrated in FIGURE 1, taken at about the line 5 5 of FIGURE 3, with the floor seal retracted prior to closing of the partition, and with parts broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction; and

FIGURE 6 -is `a fragmentary side view, similar to FIGURE 5, but with the partition closed and the floor seal extended into engagement with the floor, and with parts broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction.

While :an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, and it should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claim.

The invention is, in brief, directed to a baille arrangement, described and illustrated in the form of a iloor seal, for closing the gap between a floor or similar surface and a sliding or folding door, partition, or similar closu-re panel. A baille member `or sealing strip is resiliently urged, by springs in actuating devices, into engagel l ll Patented Nov. 26, 1963 ICC ment with the floor when the panel is closed, and is held out of engagement with the floor when the panel is open, in such a manner that the actuating device is unstressed, thereby prolonging the life and effectiveness of the springs.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE l shows a folding partition having two sections ill, each with a plurality of closure panels, such as inner partition panels 1l, and free end partition panels 12, which abut each other in the closed position. The panels have adjacent vertical side edges connected by hinges i3 on alternate faces of the panels il and l2 for opening each section lil so that the partition panels il and 12 are folded face-to-Iface adjacent opposite walls, as indicated by the dotted lines. FIGURE 2 :shows a folding partition having one section i4 with a plurality of inner partition panels 11 and one free end partition panel l2 abutting a bumper jamb 15 on one wall, with the panels ll and l2 similarly connected by hinges i3 for moving the partition to the open position adjacent an opposite wall, as indicated by the dotted lines.

Referring to FIGURE 3, all partition panels are suitably suspended for movement, either manually or automatically, between the open and closed positions. For example, each partition panel may be secured by a rotatable connection 18 to a trolley 'l having wheels 2G riding on opposite edge portions of the lower flange Z1 of an l-beam track 22 which is attached in a suitable manner to hanger rods 23. The bottom edges 25 of the partition panels li and l2 are provided lwith a floor seal, such as a baille arrangement 25, for engaging 1an adjacent surface, such as a iloor 27, when the partition is closed.

The baille arrangement 2,6 includes baille members 28 on the free end partition panels l2, and these baille members are longer than the width of the respective panels, and baille members 2d on the partition panels il, and these baille members are of the same length as the width of the respective panels, as will be further discussed hereinaifter.

The following description will be directed to a baille member 28 on a free end partition panel l2. Each baille member 2S includes an elongated rigid strip onbar 29, `and a resilient sealing strip 29a secured to the bottom face of the bar 29 for engaging the floor 2.7 and compensating for irregularities on the surface of the iloor. The bar 29 is mounted on the partition panel 17, for movement in the plane of the partition panel from a raised retracted position, shown in FlGURES 3 and 5, in which the baille member 28 is adjacent the lower edge 25 of the closure panel and spaced from the iloor 27, to an operative lower or extended position in which the baille member 28 is moved longitudinally of the lower edge 25 in a given direction, away from a free side edge 3d of the partition panel, and away from the bottom edge 25 of the partition panel, with the resilient strip 29a in engagement with the iloor 27 to close the gap between the partition panel and the floor. As the partition is moved into the closed position, a free outer end 3l of the baille member 28 engages a similar free outer end 3l on a-n opposite baille member (or the bumper jarnb l5 in the arrangement illustrated in FlGURE 2), to move the baille member 28 longitudinally of the partition panel lower edge 25 in the given direction, that is, :away from the partition panel free side edge 30. Actuating devices '32, which are longitudinally spaced on the partition panel lower edge 25, provide means responsive to such longitudinal movement of the baffle member 28 for moving the baille member 28 from the retracted position to a position away from the lower edge 25 and resiliently into engagement with the floor 27, so that the baille member is in the extended position.

Each device 32 includes a pair of parallel spaced apart leaf springs 33 having opposite ends With eyes each freely receiving a pin connected with opposite side walls of respective C-shaped xtures 34 and 3S for rotatably mounting the springs on the Xtures. The xtures are secured, respectively, to the bar 29 and within a recess in the closure panel lower edge 25. ln the retracted position the leaf springs 33 are slanted away from the partition panel lower edge 25 in a direction toward the closure panel free side edge 30.

As the partition panel 12 closes, thereby :moving the baille member 23 longitudinally with respect to the partition panel lower edge 25, the tension spring 38 is stressed and the actuating device yleaf springs 33 are rotated about their connections with the partition panel 12 andthe bar 29 to a bowed shape, thereby lowering the baille member 2S into engagement with the iloor 27. Continued movement of the partition panel 12 into the closed position causes the opposite spring ends to move over-center, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, in which position the leaf springs resiliently urge the bale member into tight engagement with the floor 27, and exerts no force tending to return the baffle member. As the partition is opened, the partition panel 12 moves Iaway from lthe closed position but the baille member remains momentarily in the closed position until the leaf springs 33 `again pass over center and the baille member 28 is moved into the retracted position.

The leaf springs .33 are unstressed in the retracted position through the cooperative effect of spring means in the form of the tension spring 3S and abut-ments 39 on par-tition panel 12. Each tension spring 33, two or more of which may be utilized in each panel, is connected at opposite ends tothe closure panel lower edge 25 and to the bar 29, and is slanted away from the partition panel lower edge 25 in a direction away from the closure panel free edge 30, providing means for urging the bar 29 upwardly and into engagement with the aburtrnents 39, and longitudinally of the edge in a direction toward the closure panel free side edge 30, so lthat the lleaf springs 33 lare unstressed when the baille member is in the retracted position.

The baffle member 28 for the partition panel 12 is slightly longer than the width `of 4the panel, for movement of the free outer end 31 of the baille member 2S into alignment with the partition panel free side edge 31.1. The baille members 28 on the inner partition panels 11 are of the same length as the width of the panels 11. As the partition section is closed, an inner end 4d of the baille member 2S `moves the adjacent baftle member 2S longitudinally of the lower edge 25 of partition panel 11, and as previously described, the bafe member 28 moves from the retracted to -the extended position. The baille member on the outer partition panel 12 may be as much shorter than 'the panel las the baffle member 28 is longer than its panel, to provide `an even outer edge.

Suitable cover plates 42 are secured to opposite faces of each partition panel. The plates 42 are co-extensive with the partition panel lower edge 25, extend downwardly, are spaced `from the floor 27, and overlie the baffle member 28 in both the retracted and extended positions, covering the gap between the partition panel lower edge 25 and the baille member.

Aside from the difference in length of the baille members, the structure and function of the baille arrangements 26 is identical for all panels. ln the single `baille `section arrangement of FTGURE 2, the free end 31 of the baffle i member 23 engages the bumper jamb 15, rather than another end 31, but lall other structure is identical to that previously described.

The baille arrangement herein described provides an effective and etlicient floor seal in which the actuating devices 32 and their leaf springs 33 are unstressed except When `they are needed for resiliently urging the baille members into engagement with the floor 27, `and the spiral tension springs 33, which may be easily and economically replaced, suppont the halide member in the inoperative retracted position.

Although the baffle rar-rangement has been described in the environment of ya floor seal for folding or sliding doors or partitions, it is applicable to closing a gap `between any members having a similar relationship.

I claim:

A floor seal for closing the gap between a floor and the bottom edge of a folding or sliding door, partition or similar closure panel, comprising: la sealing strip mounted on said panel adjacent the bottom edge thereof for movement longitudinally of the bottom edge and up and down relative thereto in the plane of the panel from a raised retracted position in which one end of the strip projects outwardly of one upright edge of the closure panel for engagement with a cooperating abutment and an operative lower sealing position in which the lower edge of the strip is urged outwardly from the bottom edge of the closure panel, a 4tension spring disposed generally parallel to movement of the sealing strip `and having opposite ends connected respectively to the closure panel and the sealing strip for urging the strip longitudinally and upwardly to aid retracted position, cooperating stop means on the strip and the panel defining the retracted position, and means for resiliently urging the strip to said sealing position when moved longitudinally by engagement of the projecting end with said cooperating abutment, including a pair of parallel ilat leaf spring members spaced longitudinally of the strip and inclined downwardly and toward the projecting end of the strip when the latter is rctracted, each said spring having an upper end pivotally mounted on the closure member `about an axis parallel to the plane of the spring and normal to the plane of the closure panel and a lower end pivotally mounted on the sealing strip about an taxis parallel to the plane of the spring and normal to the plane of the closure panel, said lower end spaced from the upper end by the length of the spring when the strip is retracted so that the spring is unstressed, said llower ends, when the strip is moved longitudinally, being movable closer tothe upper ends and longitudinally of the bottom edge past the upper ends to positions in which the springs are bowed each with a concavity facing toward said normally projecting end thereby to urge said strip downwardly and exent a sealing `force and no force tending -to return the strip to retracted position,

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 813,518 Pisor Feb. 27, 1906 2,941,261 Muse May 19, 1936 2,180,112 Tones Nov. 14, 1939 2,629,147 Smith et al Feb. 24, 1953 2,870,495 Wetzel Jan. 27, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 455,749 Great Britain -1 Oct. 27, 1936 

